i got stabbed

by itty bitty needles many many times :)

if you'll recall, i wanted to get a tattoo for my 26th birthday. due to scheduling, i had to wait until yesterday morning to get inked. but god was it worth the wait. my artist, deirdre, was fantastic; the rest of the staff were also super awesome. InSlut was visiting for a dentistry issue, and was able to come with me to the appointment. i'm so glad he was my plus one. and they were all over him for drawing my art; it was too cute [sidebar: he might get a freelance art job because of it]

the setup process took a bit: tracing the graphic onto special paper, resizing it and transferring it onto stencil paper. but the actual tattooing seemed to go pretty quickly (even though i think it was like an hour and a half). and it was not as horrible as i was anticipating. i was pretty much over my needle nerves by the time i made the appointment, but that doesn't mean i wasn't still cautious about the pain factor. oh. my. god. it was nothing after the first few minutes. deirdre warned me that the first 10 are the worst, but then your endorphins kick in to ease the pain. i did feel it, but the discomfort level ebbed and flowed depending on what she was doing where. the line work definitely hurt more than the shading; it hurt more lower on my leg and moving towards the back of my leg. but overall, it wasn't too bad. i actually almost fell asleep a couple times lol. pre-tattoo, i said i was still hesitant about getting additional work. after-tattoo, i cant wait to go back. i wont lie, the awesome staff is definitely part of the appeal. i'm so glad i went there because they made the whole experience that much better. if anyone is in the annapolis area and wants a tattoo (or piercing), i highly recommend body mod. you won't regret checking them out [website; facebook fan page]

now for what you've all been waiting for...

that's from this morning :) it's still a little red (and has that weird bandaidy look), but you cant really tell in this photo

other photos...